Facts

On 19 June 2023 the House of Commons voted on the Privileges Committee report, which found Johnson had repeatedly misled parliament over Partygate. 

Mr Sunak was among more than 200 Conservative MPs who failed to take part in the Commons vote.

Speaking on Sky News, the Prime Minister stated he was unable to attend the vote as he was at a charity dinner. 

Other Members of Parliament who were at the same charity diner, and left after Sunak, managed to get back for the vote. When questioned on this at the House of Commons Liaison Committee on 4 July 2023, Mr Sunak responded, “I think their role and my role at the dinner were probably slightly different.”

Verdict

The Prime Minister is an MP. Excluding events such as the death or serious illness of someone very close to him, there is no excuse for not turning up to vote. Sunak’s claim that “their role and my role at the dinner were probably slightly different” carries zero weight. He owes an apology to viewers of Sky News. 

We emailed Rishi Sunak’s office and Number 10 offering him the chance to respond. The email was received, but no reply.